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David Gewirtz
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Pakistan on the YouTube black hole: Never mind

By | February 26, 2008, 9:19am PST

Having neatly knocked YouTube off the net for several hours, exposing a key vulnerability in the BRG system and creating a small tumult within Pakistan, the government has now changed course and removed the block on YouTube, AP reports.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told Internet service providers to restore access to the site after the removal of what it called a “blasphemous” video clip, authority spokeswoman Nabiha Mahmood said.

225px-geertwilders.jpgThe clip in question featured Dutch politician Geert Wilders promoting an upcoming film trashing Islam. Apparently, the clip asserted that Islam is Fascist and promotes violence against women and gays.

Now get this:

[Mahmood] said the authority had posted a complaint through the Web site — a facility open to any registered user — but had not been in contact with the administrators of YouTube.com.

No, rather than place a call or send a fax, the PTA just filled a complaint form on YouTube, waited, oh, what do you think - an hour? - and then sent out the order to take the site down. From the entire Internet. Perhaps they felt that the web form wasn’t getting YouTube’s attention. But isn’t this shooting a flea with a bazooka?

And regarding that litle snafu:

Mahmood said the Pakistani regulator carried no responsibility for “technical hitches” which may have lead to problems elsewhere. She said it was not clear how that occurred.

Technically, the ISP that screwed it up so royally is responsible but the PTA’s nonchalant attitude doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. In any case, Pakistan said, it’s nothing personal.

The black-holing of YouTube was “very sad, very unfortunate. We have nothing against the YouTube site itself,” Abdullah Riar, Pakistan’s minister for information technology and telecommunications.

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Topics

YouTube Inc., Pakistan, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Internet, Government, Gender And Diversity, Fax, Channel Management, Human Resources, Marketing, Richard Koman

Disclosure

Richard Koman

http://government.zdnet.com/?page_id=3731

Biography

Richard Koman

Richard Koman is an attorney admitted to practice in California. As a technology writer since the mid-1980s, Richard Koman has documented the role of computing in the transformation of the graphic arts, the growth of the Web and the birth of the peer-to-peer phenomenon. He worked as a book and web editor for O'Reilly Media throughout the 1990s, editing several influential websites and numerous best-sellers. As a lawyer, as well as a tech writer, he brings a unique perspective to the blog's intersection of law, government and technology.
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It is word of God
pkrashdi@... 25th Nov 2009
The Holy Book of Islam proves it that Man is better than a woman (since two captain cannot run a ship and same is true in the sense that there is only a God, not two, to run the whole universe) So your comments does not reflect the true picture that these are not word of God.
View in thread
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When will people live and let live?
osreinstall 26th Feb 2008
If these Pakistanis are really sorry, they should cut a check for their mess up, for all those folk's time out there. If they are not that sorry, fine them or put them in isolation for awhile.
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Soooo...
NamelessFor Now 26th Feb 2008
So essentially what you're saying is Pakistan is responsible for a DOS attack against the world...or youtube depending on which way you look at it..either way...baaaad terrorist state. BAD!
No but seriously, it was obviously an accident that Youtube was taken down world wide instead of just in Pakistan, however...how does one make a mistake THAT HUGE? That shouldnt even be possible. As I'm sure Eric Schmidt asked, how the hell did that happen?
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RE: Pakistan on the YouTube black hole: Never mind
arifeensheikh@... 26th Feb 2008
If YouTube falters again, or for that matter, any test tube baby advocation for the criminals running YouTube, you now know what you will get......rather nastier. Hell with all of you propagating 'freedom of expression'... to assault the noblest of all religions....since your narrow comprehension cannot comprehend it.

YouDareDoitAgain
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You are one messed up dude.
techboy_z 26th Feb 2008
Noblest of all religions? The religion which proposes it is honorous to murder innocent people, including women and children? The religion that considers women as inferior and not worthy to show their face in public? Bosh. Nothing noble about Islam.
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i could not have said it better my self techboy_z
SO.CAL Guy 26th Feb 2008
i could not have said it better my self techboy_z
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Better Be Silent If You Cant Use Ur Brain
pkrashdi@... 26th Feb 2008
If you have not studied something, so better be silent. You people are victim of media warefare and do not use your brains. Actually, these days it is so easy to make the fool that just show something negative not only about some specific religion, but also about some particular character that people without verifying accept whatever is feeded to their brains. The people who do not respect other's religion are not getting respect in response too. And the government which are involved in media warefare and be-heading the innocents of the lives of their beloved ones, are also facing the same situation in reaction. So freedom of speech does not mean that you start saying that you have no father. Please behave in making such statements which might hurt billions of people who belong to a noble religion.
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yep your right now practice what you preach
SO.CAL Guy 26th Feb 2008
yep your right now practice what you preach. we are not the ones stoning women because they got raped.
we are not the ones blowing our selfs up because we want the world to bow down to our belief's
we are not the ones saying if your not a Muslim then you don't have the same rights as us.
we are not the ones that say women have no rights and having children and being submissive to a man is not a right.

we do not go to a country and try to take away the rights that country has like cab drivers picking and choosing who they take as a fair because they have a dog. trying to force schools to stop serving some food types. store clerks and cashers who will not handle some food stuffs. and the list go's on and on.

and the fact that you do not riot in the streets to stop the extremest from perverting your so called noble religion.

or at least speak out against them makes us think the way we do not the media.

you by your inaction is why we believe the way we do.
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you are believing sterotypes
voska1 26th Feb 2008
The religion of Islam is one of the largest religions on the planet. The Second largest to be exact at 1.5 Billion followers. Now of those 1.5 Billion how many are this stereotypical Muslim you describe? Would that be .01% at 150,000 extremist or .1% at 1.5 million extremist.
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So...
MassJim 27th Feb 2008
... why then do we hear no response from the other 1.48B faithful Muslims when the small minorty you describe does so much to injure the followers of the world's other religions and to the reputation of Islam? Instead, what we hear is attacks hurled at anyone who asks these simple, quite obvious questions.
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Well said
mike21b@... 27th Feb 2008
...and enough said.
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Response
pkrashdi@... 25th Nov 2009
You are again following what I wrote in my previous comments, following and thinking in the way the media is showing you. When will people think neutrally and rationally, unforunately not in near future.

Now tell me, have you given all respect to a woman by making her a toy which can be bought by everyone and everywhere?? Is this the respect you are talking about? A child is born who does not know about his father and generations are going without their whereabouts. Divorce is the best example of unfotunate situation in one's life and what is the ratio of divorces in West than compared to where Islam is followed?

You've talked about rights of a country, so tell me which country (now countries) has violated and mass-murdered the people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and everywhere (list is too long). If a country does so and their citizen likes it, how can they expect peace in return??

You are so-called claimer of equal opportunities than why is so that only one religion is targetted?? Who has given Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the authority to do what he is doing against a single religion showing his narrow-mindedness?

And last but not the least you are doing even more than stoning a woman, look into the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who has been severely tortured and even holds the Citizenship of a so-called free country.

There is much to say and many examples to quote here, but I would say in last that please behave humanly everywhere because one cannot live in peace without giving peace to others.
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I don't think you know much about Islam
voska1 26th Feb 2008
Islam doesn't honour the murder of innocents. The exact opposite actually. Also the degradation of women is not purely a Islamic belief it is also a Christian belief and Jew belief. Many religions choose not to follow that part of the Bible though just as many Islamic sects don't as well and same with the Jewish religion as well. The Bible states women are dirty and corrupt but we choose to ignore that as we pick a choose what we like and dislike in the bible. After all it wasn't Adam who was corrupted into eating fruit from the tree of knowledge but he was dragged down by Eve who was. Most religions male dominated and stories to keep the man in power have always demonized women. Might make right you know back in the day.

Today we have tried hard to grow past that silly mentality and realize that the writings in history are cultural not word of God. This includes Islam as well though they are a little slower to get the point in some countries.
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Right.
handydan918 26th Feb 2008
The prophet voska1 has deigned to enlighten the infidels with the following proclamation of truth:
"The Bible states women are dirty and corrupt"
Sure it does.
Book, chapter and verse, or STFU, ID-10-T
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All Religions Are Bad!
LucasKorso 27th Feb 2008
??women should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission...? 1 Corinthians 14:34

??If however the charge is true and no proof of the girl?s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death..." Deuteronomy 22:13-21.

?Man born of woman?Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one!? Job 14:1-4

"Woman is more guilty than man, because she was seduced by Satan, and so diverted her husband from obedience to God that she was an instrument of death leading to all perdition. It is necessary that woman recognize this, and that she learn to what she is subjected; and not only against her husband. This is reason enough why today she is placed below and that she bears within her ignominy and shame."

Thank God I'm a Atheist... Even now, in the advanced western world live those dreaded fundamentalist christians who are no better than the fundamentalist muslims... through the ages religion killed more people than all the combined diseases in the world.
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"All Religions Are Bad! " Couldn't Agree More...
IT_Guy_z 27th Feb 2008
Virtually all of the troubles in history with the PLANET have been the result of people battling over religious differences. ?My God is better than yours? is their basic underlying cry.

EVERY religion thinks it is the best, and has no tolerance for other religions. Pick virtually any conflict/war in history, and chances are religious difference are at the heart of it.

For an ?institution? that professes to promote tolerance, there is no more INTOLLERANT institution than religion.

And the worst, and most dangerous, groups are the fundamentalists. Be they Islamist extremists, or the so-called ?Religious Right? in the US. Both are equally dangerous, and intolerant of others to the point of anarchy.

And oh by the way?I have TWO ministers in my immediate family. One Methodist, and one Congregational, and BOTH have little ?tolerance? for people who do not embrace their religions views.

And to top it off?what IS religion anyway? It is worshiping some made up mythical entity in the ?heavens?. Religion is for people who can?t make up their minds for themselves on how to act towards others. They need someone to lead them by the hand, after of course, making regular monetary donations to ensure they get into heaven. I?m not an Atheist?I?m an Agnostic, thank you very much.
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Those People are Called Sheep
jpgeorgia 27th Feb 2008
Those people who need to be led are called Sheep. As a child going to church, I didn't pay much attention to being called a "sheep", a member of a "flock" with Christ as the shepherd. But, as I got older, I began to resent being called a sheep. Just watch (and listen to) a flock of sheep and see if you don't agree. I am not a sheep, but I think many people are. They are poked with the staff to make them move, they believe everything they hear and read. Then, they believe that only they are on the true path and those that are not part of the flock should be ostracized or worse. I'm finished being a sheep.
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yes, Eve was deceived, but...
ZDNet_replier 26th Feb 2008
Adam chose the wrong path. Shame on Adam.

And by the way, the Bible does NOT state that women are dirty and corrupt any more than men. We are all just as corrupt.
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History is inherently faulty...
Four-Eyes 27th Feb 2008
Since it is usually written by the conquerors. Historical documents written by the conquered are normally destroyed especially if it goes against what was written by the conquerors. People "normally" write subjectively instead of objectively. Books "sometimes" lose their original meaning and context when they get translated into another language. So what does this say about everything written by man since he learned how to write?

We shouldn't be too quick to judge anyone based on what we read on the morning paper, magazine or Internet. Acting on emotion and not enough knowledge leads to more problems.

So I'd rather just take a breather and avoid bashing anyone (but that's just me)... The world is already so messed up as it is.
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It is word of God
pkrashdi@... 25th Nov 2009
The Holy Book of Islam proves it that Man is better than a woman (since two captain cannot run a ship and same is true in the sense that there is only a God, not two, to run the whole universe) So your comments does not reflect the true picture that these are not word of God.
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Ignorance and stupidity
Jeff Dickey 27th Feb 2008
either of those claiming to promote a religion (or philosophy or politics) while doing everything possible to subvert the letter and spirit of same, OR on the lazy nitwits who take the first group's actions/ideas as representative of the movement in question rather than exercising brain cells and actually doing research, are big pieces of the problem.

"Ignornance kills" has been a truism for centuries (past and future - check out http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/factsheets/doeymp0115.shtml for one obvious-in-retrospect issue). DELIBERATE ignorance is rapidly becoming a capital offense ("think of it as evolution in action"). The problem with that, in practice, is that the perpetrator isn't the only one removed from the gene pool - or, in recent history, removed from the gene pool at all.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." -- A. Lincoln
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The "noblest of all religions"?
Hallowed are the Ori 27th Feb 2008
You're kidding, right?

What's noble about flying jetliners into buildings?

What's noble about blowing yourself up in order to kill people who have never done a single thing to harm or otherwise injure you?

And what's noble about cutting off the heads of anyone who disagrees with your "noblest of all religions"?

The world would be a better place without you Islamic nut-jobs.
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Did someone miss his meds this morning??? [NT]
Timpraetor 27th Feb 2008
NT
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RE: Pakistan on the YouTube black hole: Never mind
pkrashdi@... Updated - 25th Nov 2009
If you have not studied something, so better be silent. You people are victim of media warfare and do not use your brains. Actually, these days it is so easy to make the fool that just show something negative not only about some specific religion, but also about some particular character that people without verifying accept whatever is feeded to their brains. The people who do not respect other's religion are not getting respect in response too. And the government which are involved in media warfare and be-heading the innocents of the lives of their beloved ones, are also facing the same situation in reaction. So freedom of speech does not mean that you start saying that you have no father. Please behave in making such statements which might hurt billions of people who belong to a noble religion.
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Dead Terrorist?
Tony R. 27th Feb 2008
Are you sure you're not really Jeff Dunham's Achmed The Dead Terrorist? You sure sound like him: "Silence! I kill you!"
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Its the end of the world!
No_Ax_to_Grind 26th Feb 2008
I mean everyone knows access to YouTube is a basic human right. Pfffttt...
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Invisible friend insulted by virtualized society
Spats30 27th Feb 2008
Here we go. "My invisible friend is better than your invisible friend" and in this case it's even funnier/sadder. Your (Muslim's) invisible friend has been insulted by the Virtual society of YouTube. Therefore, your invisible friend is angered and requires the immediate shutdown of a legitimate virtual world used by millions of real people.

Almost sickening. It's hypocritical that Pakistan even allowed YouTube back on, or even wanted to be on the Internet. For the rest of us -- to even allow Pakistan back on the Internet after such a response without a severe penalty is also bad. This flaw has pointed out why only democratic societies should control the top level Internet routing tables.
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RE: Pakistan on the YouTube black hole: Never mind
Karras 27th Feb 2008
As shown in this discussion, organized religion, at the least, creates petty bickering. What is wrong about what happened with YouTube is that the internet is supposed to transcend all this. This is the world-wide-web where people from all over the world can communicate with one another without the control of a government or regime. Cyberspace is perhaps our last hope as a species...and yet a government just controlled the internet.
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Hmm... Maybe you're on to something there...
Four-Eyes 27th Feb 2008
Maybe the next step for humans is to become "one" with cyberspace. We can finally leave behind our frail physical bodies and become immortal and all-powerful in cyberspace! The physical world is now run by robots. No more countries, no more political sides, no more religious distinctions, no boundaries whatsoever. Total FREEDOM! But wait! What's that on the horizon? It's the GooglePlex trying to organize the world's data! Everyone's being searched without permission! Oh no! i'm being bombarded with targetted advertising! Must stop this madness! Must... pull... the... plug...

Just shows you what a boring day today is for me...
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Online Warfare
dog15bert 27th Feb 2008
While the intent of Pakistan may have been to just block Youtube for thier country, BGP route poisoning is just the type of action an online Threat would take to disrupt services. It doesn't have to be a bomb, a gun, or any other conventional weapon. The IP based Internet may have been built by DARPA to withstand nuclear attacks way back when. However it is no longer being managed by organizations who always keep security high on the list. And many of the services developed since the military allowed public use, and that have allowed Internet access to expand and become more "end-user friendly" (like BGP routing between ISP & large corporations), were developed less with security/authentication in mind. It really is a fragile system.

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